Hello loyal readers! It's that time again, albeit a bit later than I had hoped, but then again when a flake runs a red light and hits your car you have other things on your mind besides posting. But I digress.
This month's book is Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John. I chose this book in honor of the start of football season (pre-season doesn't count). RJYH chronicles the author's experience of participating in a full season of RV subculture while following his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide football team. While the book does recount plays from the games it is really more about the fans and thus does not require the reader to have a ridiculous amount of pre-existing knowledge about the team. However, some passing knowledge of college football is recommended. Of course, if you don't have that I can't for the life of me imagine why you would read this book. Unless of course you simply enjoy a well written, humorous book. (But then again, people do an awful lot of things that I can't fathom the reasons behind).
RJYH is a quick and entertaining read. It has also garnered a high "dad" rating from my father which speaks to a high level of appeal as he prefers books that are more snack like in nature, as opposed to three course meals. If nothing else, the level of obsession that is displayed by the fans St. John encounters will make you feel a great deal better about your own obsessions.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Addendum to "what I've learned"
Looking back on the last blog I feel that a couple of the items need some clarification.
In regards to #6, while I firmly believe that this is true, I have to say that just because it can backfire on you that doesn't absolve you from doing good deeds.
For #16, if I offer to cook for you, and not just in a party situation, but actually cook for you personally, then you are a special person to me and should consider yourself lucky. Not to be smug or anything, but I do have a knack for it and it is an expression of affection. Just as if I tell you that you smell good it is like the ultimate compliment from me. But that's something else altogether.
For #17, the thrill of it is that I can keep it on a short lease. Chocolate has no power over me! Well, actually it does, especially if it is combined with peanut butter, but I can resist the siren song of temptation.
In regards to #6, while I firmly believe that this is true, I have to say that just because it can backfire on you that doesn't absolve you from doing good deeds.
For #16, if I offer to cook for you, and not just in a party situation, but actually cook for you personally, then you are a special person to me and should consider yourself lucky. Not to be smug or anything, but I do have a knack for it and it is an expression of affection. Just as if I tell you that you smell good it is like the ultimate compliment from me. But that's something else altogether.
For #17, the thrill of it is that I can keep it on a short lease. Chocolate has no power over me! Well, actually it does, especially if it is combined with peanut butter, but I can resist the siren song of temptation.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
What I've Learned
August 17th was the one year anniversary of my becoming a homeowner. I had planned on doing this post closer to that date, but it also happens to be my mother's birthday and festivities took precedence. At any rate, these are some of the things that I have learned over this past year.
1. Houses are WAY more expensive than apartments. I know a lot of you just went "well duh SL," but really and truly even though I knew that they were more expensive, I didn't realize how much more until I was left in charge of everything.
2. I'm actually a pretty good cook and have a knack for picking tasty recipes.
3. Yoga is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
4. My dog is very spoiled, but a sweet creature that I love fiercely. (I sort of already knew that last part, but what the hell.)
5. Additionally, he is not to be trusted outside without a leash. That lesson almost came at a very steep price.
6. Good deeds frequently get you punished.
7. I have horrible taste in men.
8. Being pleasant and cheerful all day long is very tiring for an introvert. Think of it as a marathon performance for an actor. (My natural at rest state appears to be serious). Constantly being around people for 8 hours wears me out. Again, I sort of already knew this but it has recently been driven home. Repeatedly.
9. I should never underestimate the general public's ability to annoy me, or any administration's ability to mess up a free meal.
10. My reading material reflects a certain level of fracture in my personality. I don't actually think I'm fractured, just that the wide variety of books I chose to read could be interpreted that way. Does it really seem possible for the same woman to read books on football, vampires, the sexual escapades of long dead monarchs, Ghengis Khan, wizards, fictional murders including one that revolves around an anthropomorphized egg, and children being trained as military leaders in a dystopian future and enjoy them all? Well, that's me.
11. For someone who reads as much as I do my spelling stinks. This isn't really a new concept either, just painfully pointed out to me every time I blog. My vocabulary has always outstripped my spelling capacity. It made writing AP essays a bitch.
12. I care about most people way more than they care about me.
13. Way too many people find the concept of a print card to be mind boggling. Clearly it is an advanced concept that needs to be taught in school.
14. Your wit is like a muscle, it must be exercised daily or else it will atrophy.
15. Syrion and I apparently look enough alike that we are thought to be related.
16. Cooking for other people, especially if they are appreciative, is way more rewarding than cooking for just yourself.
17. My sweet tooth must be kept on a short leash or I will lose control of it.
18. I can hold a grudge for a very, very long time.
19. Chickpeas are actually quite tasty.
20. I never look as nice in photographs as I do in the mirror.
1. Houses are WAY more expensive than apartments. I know a lot of you just went "well duh SL," but really and truly even though I knew that they were more expensive, I didn't realize how much more until I was left in charge of everything.
2. I'm actually a pretty good cook and have a knack for picking tasty recipes.
3. Yoga is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
4. My dog is very spoiled, but a sweet creature that I love fiercely. (I sort of already knew that last part, but what the hell.)
5. Additionally, he is not to be trusted outside without a leash. That lesson almost came at a very steep price.
6. Good deeds frequently get you punished.
7. I have horrible taste in men.
8. Being pleasant and cheerful all day long is very tiring for an introvert. Think of it as a marathon performance for an actor. (My natural at rest state appears to be serious). Constantly being around people for 8 hours wears me out. Again, I sort of already knew this but it has recently been driven home. Repeatedly.
9. I should never underestimate the general public's ability to annoy me, or any administration's ability to mess up a free meal.
10. My reading material reflects a certain level of fracture in my personality. I don't actually think I'm fractured, just that the wide variety of books I chose to read could be interpreted that way. Does it really seem possible for the same woman to read books on football, vampires, the sexual escapades of long dead monarchs, Ghengis Khan, wizards, fictional murders including one that revolves around an anthropomorphized egg, and children being trained as military leaders in a dystopian future and enjoy them all? Well, that's me.
11. For someone who reads as much as I do my spelling stinks. This isn't really a new concept either, just painfully pointed out to me every time I blog. My vocabulary has always outstripped my spelling capacity. It made writing AP essays a bitch.
12. I care about most people way more than they care about me.
13. Way too many people find the concept of a print card to be mind boggling. Clearly it is an advanced concept that needs to be taught in school.
14. Your wit is like a muscle, it must be exercised daily or else it will atrophy.
15. Syrion and I apparently look enough alike that we are thought to be related.
16. Cooking for other people, especially if they are appreciative, is way more rewarding than cooking for just yourself.
17. My sweet tooth must be kept on a short leash or I will lose control of it.
18. I can hold a grudge for a very, very long time.
19. Chickpeas are actually quite tasty.
20. I never look as nice in photographs as I do in the mirror.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
From Hell
So tomorrow it starts. "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!" Yes, my friends, tomorrow is the first day of fall semester at my place of employment. If I could carry a taser, a bullhorn, and a flask of a sweet alcoholic beverage around with me all day perhaps I could enjoy myself. Alas, and alack, but for some reason they will not allow these accessories. I have also not been able to find that perfect outfit that screams both "don't give me any shit" as well as "I will be happy to help you" while simultaneously looking professional. If anyone has any suggestions for that combo please let me know. I must steel myself for my trip into one of the circles of hell. I think this calls for ice cream and cards with friends.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
From the shelves 4
Ah August! The dog days of summer, when it is beastly hot and all you want to do is lay somewhere cool with an icy beverage. The perfect time to take a walk in the woods. No, not a literal one! I mean Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.
To be fair, recommending A Walk in the Woods is a bit of a cheat as it was chosen as one of our book club books the first year I participated. (Yes, it was my suggestion). However, it is still worthy of it's moment in the blog spotlight. This was my introduction to Bryson's work, as it is for many people because it is the most well known of his books. The premise of the book is Bryson's ambition to walk the length of the Appalachian trail, albeit not in one fell swoop. Did I mention that Bryson is not a hiker, nor, by his own admission, particularly physically fit?
Along with some hilarious incidents, most involving an old friend of his named Katz, this book is filled with information about the origins of the trail, the status of the trail and the environment at the time, and lots of other fun facts and trivia and pithy observations about life, the wilderness and humans in general. At times the book will depress you, like when it discusses the deforestation that is occurring in the Blue Ridge Mountains, thanks in part to the pollution from the cars used by the countless campers who come there each year. Many of Bryson's books contain strong environmental themes so if you happen to drive a gas guzzling behemoth and think global warming doesn't exist then you probably won't enjoy this book. But quite frankly most people who are in that state of denial don't read anyway so it is moot point.
Bryson has caught a lot of flack for this book from die hard trail enthusiasts because they felt that he made light of the difficult nature of hiking the trail, and behaved irresponsibly by going out and hiking whilst being woefully unprepared. Clearly the die hard trail enthusiasts think that people who read books like this are stupid and can't learn from Bryson's mistakes. Anyone who reads the description of how he and Katz felt, looked, and smelt after their first foray on the trail will NOT think "hey! I want to do exactly that!" Or if they do and they end up dying because of their foolishness then they will be a prime candidate for the Darwin Awards. Really what bothers the die hard fans is that the book raised the popularity of the trail with day hikers, and they resent the intrusion. Not that you can really blame them for that sentiment, we've all experienced that feeling when the newbies invade.
But back to the book itself. A Walk in the Woods shines a spotlight on often overlooked, and underfunded national park. I grew up in Virginia and now live in North Carolina and despite my knowledge of the trail's existence, I knew next to nothing about it's history or how it was run. My cousin's ex-boyfriend attempted to hike the trail from beginning to end and the trail kicked his ass,(he readily admits this by the way) and he was a major outdoors kind of guy. It is not for light weights or the squeamish as the book makes perfectly clear. But the book is not all "Danger Will Robinson!", or gloomy environmental information. Large portions of it a extremely funny. Bryson has a very deft turn of phrase and the ability to draw the reader in and make them experience everything along with him. An excellent skill in a travel writer don't you think? So take A Walk in the Woods with Bill Bryson, I promise you that you won't regret it. And best of all, you won't need any bug spray.
To be fair, recommending A Walk in the Woods is a bit of a cheat as it was chosen as one of our book club books the first year I participated. (Yes, it was my suggestion). However, it is still worthy of it's moment in the blog spotlight. This was my introduction to Bryson's work, as it is for many people because it is the most well known of his books. The premise of the book is Bryson's ambition to walk the length of the Appalachian trail, albeit not in one fell swoop. Did I mention that Bryson is not a hiker, nor, by his own admission, particularly physically fit?
Along with some hilarious incidents, most involving an old friend of his named Katz, this book is filled with information about the origins of the trail, the status of the trail and the environment at the time, and lots of other fun facts and trivia and pithy observations about life, the wilderness and humans in general. At times the book will depress you, like when it discusses the deforestation that is occurring in the Blue Ridge Mountains, thanks in part to the pollution from the cars used by the countless campers who come there each year. Many of Bryson's books contain strong environmental themes so if you happen to drive a gas guzzling behemoth and think global warming doesn't exist then you probably won't enjoy this book. But quite frankly most people who are in that state of denial don't read anyway so it is moot point.
Bryson has caught a lot of flack for this book from die hard trail enthusiasts because they felt that he made light of the difficult nature of hiking the trail, and behaved irresponsibly by going out and hiking whilst being woefully unprepared. Clearly the die hard trail enthusiasts think that people who read books like this are stupid and can't learn from Bryson's mistakes. Anyone who reads the description of how he and Katz felt, looked, and smelt after their first foray on the trail will NOT think "hey! I want to do exactly that!" Or if they do and they end up dying because of their foolishness then they will be a prime candidate for the Darwin Awards. Really what bothers the die hard fans is that the book raised the popularity of the trail with day hikers, and they resent the intrusion. Not that you can really blame them for that sentiment, we've all experienced that feeling when the newbies invade.
But back to the book itself. A Walk in the Woods shines a spotlight on often overlooked, and underfunded national park. I grew up in Virginia and now live in North Carolina and despite my knowledge of the trail's existence, I knew next to nothing about it's history or how it was run. My cousin's ex-boyfriend attempted to hike the trail from beginning to end and the trail kicked his ass,(he readily admits this by the way) and he was a major outdoors kind of guy. It is not for light weights or the squeamish as the book makes perfectly clear. But the book is not all "Danger Will Robinson!", or gloomy environmental information. Large portions of it a extremely funny. Bryson has a very deft turn of phrase and the ability to draw the reader in and make them experience everything along with him. An excellent skill in a travel writer don't you think? So take A Walk in the Woods with Bill Bryson, I promise you that you won't regret it. And best of all, you won't need any bug spray.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Happy thought for the day
Few things are as comforting as laying on your bed petting a warm, snuggly clean dog. Is it any wonder that I have trouble getting up in the morning?
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Invasion of the creepy crawlies
Last night, after viewing the eagerly awaited DVD of Hot Fuzz (you may recall that it was one of the things that lead to my post about entertainment thwarting) I took my beloved pooch out for one last potty run before going to bed. As I stood on the carport I happened to notice a rather large cobweb to my left. I shifted my gaze to see how far it came out over the walkway (it was at the top of the mini-staircase leading to the backyard) and that's when I saw it. A HUGE spider right smack in the middle of the web. Naturally my motion detector light in my car port is not working, so I can only base this description on the light from the yard, but counting it's legs it was about the size of a quarter and appeared to be yellow and brown. NOT GOOD!
Shuddering slightly to myself I took Duke back inside and fetched my roommate, a broom, and the bug spray and then we advanced on our enemy. Spare me the claptrap about how spiders help control the bug population, so do bats but I don't see anyone signing up to have a bat house in their backyard. (Actually, if I didn't live "in town" I would probably put up a bat house). Spiders are incredibly creepy, and this one looked dangerous. And incidentally when I took Duke out in the yard that afternoon there was no spider web. Huge spider, huge web, short amount of time.
But back to the hunt. I sprayed, the spider tumbled down its web and Fi swatted! Most of the web and the spider tumbled down into the flower bed. But we didn't see its corpse. The steps were well illuminated so we waited. I knocked down the rest of the web, and then Fi spotted it! It was trying to make its getaway across one of the stepping stones. Foolish creature! Had it stuck to the grass we would never have seen it. Fi sprang into action and whacked the life out of the vile wretch with the broom. I swept the debris into the grass and we returned to the comfort of our home.
Shuddering slightly to myself I took Duke back inside and fetched my roommate, a broom, and the bug spray and then we advanced on our enemy. Spare me the claptrap about how spiders help control the bug population, so do bats but I don't see anyone signing up to have a bat house in their backyard. (Actually, if I didn't live "in town" I would probably put up a bat house). Spiders are incredibly creepy, and this one looked dangerous. And incidentally when I took Duke out in the yard that afternoon there was no spider web. Huge spider, huge web, short amount of time.
But back to the hunt. I sprayed, the spider tumbled down its web and Fi swatted! Most of the web and the spider tumbled down into the flower bed. But we didn't see its corpse. The steps were well illuminated so we waited. I knocked down the rest of the web, and then Fi spotted it! It was trying to make its getaway across one of the stepping stones. Foolish creature! Had it stuck to the grass we would never have seen it. Fi sprang into action and whacked the life out of the vile wretch with the broom. I swept the debris into the grass and we returned to the comfort of our home.
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